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UK policing watchdog finds National Crime Agency heavily reliant on weak
legacy systems

Date:
Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Description:
An independent audit reveals unfit for purpose tech in the NCA.

FULL STORY

An independent audit by police watchdog, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and
Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), has published a worrying report on the IT
systems of the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA). 

The report outlines that many of the IT systems it relies on are outdated and
unfit for purpose, stating that the NCA is burdened with technical debt 
thanks to a continued prioritisation of quick fix repairs over more
comprehensive long-term solutions. 

Thats not all, as the report also recommends the NCA improves its management
of bulk datasets - as currently there are no datasets from any regional
organised crime units, and no plans to allow the NCA to carry out bulk
analysis of data from the Law Enforcement Data Service - despite plans for 
the service to replace the Police National Computer in 2026.

A ten year strategy

A significant limitation the NCA faces, especially given the sensitive nature
of much of the organisation's data, is the lack of cloud adoption; 

The NCA has also been slow to fully embrace the benefits of cloud-based
technology, which has adverse practical consequences. For example, personnel
cant automatically transfer data between computer systems operating on each 
of the three security tiers of the Government Security Classifications 
Policy. 

The legacy systems that are still operated by the NCA mean higher maintenance
costs, limited functionality and compatibility with other internal systems,
increased training needed for new personnel, and an inability to fully 
exploit datasets from other outdated systems. 

There were 260 legacy systems identified, which have led to an astonishing 
80% of the organizations IT budget spent on servicing these outdated systems. 

The report concludes with nine overall recommendations, including a ten year
development strategy for replacing legacy IT systems, developing a plan to
carry out bulk data analysis of the Law Enforcement Data Service dataset, as
well as adopting the governments Digital and Data Profession Capability
Framework. 

The NCA's DG Graeme Biggar confirmed to TechRadar Pro ; 

"We are taking extensive action on areas identified in the reports
recommendations, much of which was well underway at the time of the
inspection. This includes an agency-wide technology modernisation programme."

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/uk-policing-watchdog-finds-national-cri
me-agency-heavily-reliant-on-weak-legacy-systems

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